2009.03.23
Advertising 14 cents
Everyone on Radford city council, except the mayor, wanted to advertise a 14-cent real estate tax rate increase in preparation for council's April 13 public hearing on that rate. So that's what council voted to do. But everyone on council wanted to make it clear that's a not-to-exceed rate increase. They could go lower.
In fact, council has more or less agreed on how to cut the increase to about 9 cents -- the increase necessary to make the payments on the city's new elementary school.
Mayor Tom Starnes wants to go lower. The rest of council may be willing to shave a few more cents off the rate, but they don't want to be locked into that cutting. There's a lot of time and talking between now and the final vote on the budget next month.
That 14 cent increase would take Radford's tax rate to 78 cents on every $100 of a house's value.
A few Radford residents took advantage of Monday night's public hearing to let council know what they think about the proposed budget and the tax increase that may come with it.
Larry Walker told council, "I'm sure Tony [Cox] can look back in the budget and cut some more things out."
Those cuts shouldn't include essential services, Walker added.
John McCandlish took the opposite tack. He called the budget lean and reasonable. The 14-cent tax increase would raise the taxes on his $228,000 house about 88 cents a day, McCandlish said. The 9 cents council seems to be hovering around now would mean 32 cents a day.
"I, personally, am willing to pay 32 cents a day to receive services from this city that I think are important," McCandlish said.
-- Tim Thornton
